TIME FOR YOUR SURGERY

You will most likely be admitted to the hospital a day before your surgery. After admission, a nurse takes your vital signs. You will be evaluated by a member of the anesthesia team. The most common types of anesthesia are:-

- General anesthesia, in which you are asleep throughout the procedure.

- Spinal or epidural anesthesia, in which you are awake but your legs are anesthetized.

- The epidural anesthesia is better for knee replacement because it provides pain relief for two- three days after operation. The procedure itself takes about 75 minutes.

A total knee replacement is a surgical procedure whereby the diseased knee joint is replaced with artificial implant. The knee is a hinge joint, which provides motion at the point where the thigh meets the leg. During a total knee replacement, the end of the femur bone is removed and replaced with a metal shell. The end of the leg bone (tibia), is also removed and replaced with a channeled plastic piece with a metal stem. Depending on the condition of the knee – cap (Patella) portion of the knee joint, a plastic "button" may also be added under the surface of knee-cap. Many different types of designs and materials are currently used in total knee replacement surgery. After surgery, you will be moved to the recovery room, where you will remain for one to two hours, while your recovery from anesthesia is monitored. After that you will be taken to your allotted hospital room.